Saturday, February 01, 2014

New York City Channels $210 Million in Corporate Charter Giveaways to Pre-K

Schools Chancellor Carmen
Fariña made the announcement yesterday, noting that
the diversion of funds "will help us create high-quality, full-day
pre-Kindergarten seats citywide that will deliver strong instruction"; the
DOE also hopes to reduce class sizes citywide.

The move is a big one one for the
de Blasio administration, as the mayor has been openly critical of charter
schools, which notably expanded under Mayor Bloomberg. While campaigning this
summer he announced plans to place a moratorium on the schools. The
slashed funds will only affect schools that need the funding in the 2015-2019
fiscal year, and will not impact current charter school projects. "These
are important steps that will dramatically improve educational outcomes for our
students," Fariña said yesterday.